digital content marketing for investment managers

Digital Content Marketing for Investment Managers

Five Key Themes to Consider

Communications for the Investment Management Industry


Inbound marketing Content marketing Social media marketing What are they and how can they help investment managers in their sales and marketing efforts Inbound marketing is a broad digital marketing methodology in which firms create useful actionable content in order to convert website visitors into leads leads into clients and clients into promoters Content marketing is the how firms get their message into the marketplace using blog posts eBooks newsletters white papers video etc Content marketing offers clients and prospects an ongoing affirmative argument about an investment managerrsquos value proposition Social media marketing is using social media channels (Twitter LinkedIn Slideshare etc) to distribute this content

Introduction Whatrsquos going on here

Content is the producthellip

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hellip Social media is the

distribution network

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So if investment managers believe their marketing efforts should describe how they help clients to reach their goals and solve their most pressing fiduciary issueshellip

hellip then content marketing and social media marketing are the next logical steps in staying competitive and ensuring the firmrsquos long-term viability

In many ways content marketing and social media marketing represent the idea that the more things change the more they stay the samehellip which in the end changes everything

While not an exhaustive list by any means what follows are five important themes investment managers should understand when deliberating whether to develop a content marketing and social media marketing strategy

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Key Theme 1 Leveraging the Network Effect

Generating thoughtful content is among the best ways investment managers can demonstrate their firmrsquos unique value proposition And when that content is distributed via social media it takes advantage of a key investing principal straight from the desk of Warren Buffett the network effect

The network effect describes the phenomenon of how goods and services become more valuable as their use spreads When an investment management firm creates useful actionable content for its clients and prospects that content is often subsequently shared among a secondary market of colleagues clients and professional networks which then can be distributed among a tertiary market and so on As such the reputational and professional value of the content to its creator grows as its reach extends beyond the initial distribution network Social media and related digital platforms (LinkedIn Twitter Google+ email marketing) enable easy sharing and thus a potentially global reach for a firmrsquos content It is for this reason that social media marketing is among the most efficient distribution models in history



Generating useful content is among the best ways to demonstrate your firmrsquos value proposition

1

The network effect ensures the value of your content grows as it spreads beyond your network

Social media marketing is perhaps the most effective way to distribute content to your target market and beyond

2

3

Key Takeaways


Key Theme 2 Growing AUM

All marketing initiatives must ultimately result in asset growth As such it is important for investment managers to understand exactly how content marketing and social media marketing help augment their firmrsquos sales and marketing functions Most sales and marketing professionals would probably agree that timing is everything Content marketing enables a firm to maintain a constant presence without being intrusive Content marketing makes an affirmative case for the firm on an ongoing basis ndash not just quarterly or during an initial introductory meeting It allows clients and prospects to see a firm in the context of the daily weekly monthly and annual changes to the market and industry as a whole Content marketing steadily conditions clients and prospects to a managerrsquos particular way of thinking and helps a manager tell their story more effectively It allows for an explanation of their investment philosophy and process in an important context how it helps the manager to navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of the real world And when real money is at stake prospects consider this context a non-negotiable prerequisite for investing Simply put content marketing is about building trust



Timing is everything Content marketing allows for a constant yet unobtrusive presence

1

Content marketing steadily conditions prospects to your way of thinking

Content marketing is about establishing context and building trust between a manager and their prospects and clients

2

3

Key Takeaways


Key Theme 3 Maximizing the Value of Touchpoints

Touchpointsrdquo are the channels which link an investment manager with their clients and prospects The idea of touchpoints is important because no matter how well a firm may ldquoknowrdquo its clients there are blind spots which can effectively undermine any advantages it may have as it relates to delivering content

As such using a varied combination of touchpoints helps solve two content delivery difficulties timing and delivery For example how many marketing managers can say with certainty when each of their clients and prospects are most receptive to content marketing Monday afternoon Thursday at lunch At the park on Saturday morning And what is the preferred way to receive delivered content Do clients and prospects prefer e-newsletters Video Twitter LinkedIn Google+ E-books Blogs Old-fashioned ldquosnail mailrdquo Even the most well-connected marketer has little idea about the individual preferences of each client which is why establishing multiple touchpoints creates more opportunities for your content and its audience to find each another



Touchpointsrdquo are channels linking an investment manager with clients and prospects

1

Using a varied combination of touchpoints helps mitigate two content marketing difficulties timing and delivery

Multiple touchpoints provides an audience ways to find content even if they arenrsquot specifically looking for it

2

3

Key Takeaways


Key Theme 4 Differentiation from the Crowd

The investment management industry has become close to a commodity industry in recent years While distinctions among investment philosophies and strategies certainly exist the often-subtle (yet important) nuances which characterize individual firms can be easily lost in what is an ever- increasingly competitive marketplace

Intensely competitive markets demand marketing strategies which accomplish three important descriptive tasks an explanation of who you are what you do and why Those three points must clearly express an investment management firmrsquos unique value proposition thus establishing the messaging which will provide clear differentiation from the competition Content and social media marketing strategies are among the best ways for investment managers differentiate their investment philosophy and process



The broad investment categories are clogged with an ever-growing number of firms competing for clients

1

Intense competition demands a marketing strategy which clearly explains who you are what you do and why

Content marketing and social media marketing establish clear differentiation between investment managers

2

3

Key Takeaways


Key Theme 5 Finding the Flip Side to Client Service

One of the common complaints against content marketing is that many of the traditional metrics used to evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of a business initiative are incongruent with measuring content marketing outcomes in the investment management industry While it can admittedly be difficult to measure the direct effect on AUM that does not mean there is no added benefit to the firmrsquos bottom line

If an investment manager was asked what is the ROI of your client service effort most would likely concede there isnrsquot one Content marketing has a similarly nebulous yet equally important role over time a well-executed content marketing strategy will result in a detailed library of thought leadership with social media marketing creating new avenues to distribute and access that content Investment managers thus are best served by thinking about content marketing as the flip side to client service content marketing and social media marketing are an up-front investment in establishing credibility with prospects while client service is the back-end investment which helps maintain those hard-won clients



If client service is the cost of keeping clients happy then content marketing is what you do keep your prospects happy

1

Content marketing will enable the development of a library of thought leadership easily accessed via social media

2

3

Key Takeaways

Measuring the ROIs of content marketing social media marketing and client service efforts are similarly difficult


Conclusion Dress for the job you want

not for the job you have

In recent years the largest investment management firms have been aggressively employing content marketing and social media marketing strategies So if itrsquos good enough for themhellip

But even if we ignore the ldquokeeping-up-with-the-Jonesesrdquo arguments investment managers must always remember that there are no shortage of places for investors to take their money but precious few offering clear differentiation beyond their most recent quarterly performance All else being equal (ie approach philosophy performance) which investment manager will seem poised to offer such added value

~or~

Content marketing and social media marketing are two of the most efficient ways for asset management firms to provide such value in a highly competitive industry that is growing more so every year


The one who communicates regularly with a deep library of commentary and thought leadership that spans several market cycles and is available across multiple platformshellip

hellipthe one with a rarely-updated website jargony content and a comparative reluctance to engage their clients and prospects on

a regular basis

Daniel Quinn wwwdqcommcom dqcommsgmailcom 7739911368

bull Inbound marketing strategy planning amp execution

bull Digital content for content marketing amp social media marketing

bull Newsletters pitch books reports RFIRFPquestionnaires

bull Institutional investment committee amp consultant presentations

bull Website information architecture amp content strategy


copy 2015 Daniel Quinn Communications

Services

Contact


Inbound marketing Content marketing Social media marketing What are they and how can they help investment managers in their sales and marketing efforts Inbound marketing is a broad digital marketing methodology in which firms create useful actionable content in order to convert website visitors into leads leads into clients and clients into promoters Content marketing is the how firms get their message into the marketplace using blog posts eBooks newsletters white papers video etc Content marketing offers clients and prospects an ongoing affirmative argument about an investment managerrsquos value proposition Social media marketing is using social media channels (Twitter LinkedIn Slideshare etc) to distribute this content

Introduction Whatrsquos going on here

Content is the producthellip


hellip Social media is the

distribution network

wwwdqcommcom





3 of 15








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